The move comes after 51 years of service to Sudan, an industry source told AFP.

“The station is not doing well,”[4] said the source, asking for anonymity and adding that 12 staff will lose their jobs. Early this year the Dutch airline KLM ended direct flights between Amsterdam and Khartoum, citing rising costs.

The Sudanese capital is still served by Turkish Airlines as well as by some African and Middle Eastern carriers. A 12-year-old privately run Sudanese airline, Marsland, has also suspended operations.

“We have stopped our flights for the moment,” a booking agent said by telephone on Sunday. The airline’s website said it flew to the South Sudanese capital Juba, to Cairo, and to three destinations in Sudan’s Darfur region.